Today is Thursday; 19th of the Iranian month of Ordibehesht 1398 solar hijri; corresponding to 3rd of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1440 lunar hijri; and May 9, 2019, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar.

Over four thousand lunar years ago, on this day, God Almighty revealed to Prophet Abraham a heavenly scripture for guidance of the people of his times. In the Holy Qur’an God Almighty has mentioned Abraham’s name at least 69 times, and specified that he was neither a Jew nor a Christian – as the two creeds claim – but a Hanif or upright monotheist and thus a primordial Muslim. In the various days of the blessed month of Ramadhan, God had revealed several other scriptures to some of His prophets, such as the Torah to Prophet Moses, the Evangel to Prophet Jesus, and the Holy Qur’an, the Final Heavenly Scripture with the universal message of Islam to the Last and Greatest of all Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

1375 lunar years ago, on this day in 65 AH, Marwan ibn al-Hakam, the fourth caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime died in Damascus at the age of 64, after nine months in power, which was limited mostly to Syria. He was killed by his most recent wife, a widow of the tyrant Yazid ibn Mu'awiyyah, who put a pillow on his face and sat over it till his breath was snuffed out. One of the most criminal characters in Islamic history, Marwan was son of the hypocrite Hakam bin Aas, who was expelled from Medina by the Prophet for ridiculing Islam. He was first cousin of Osman bin Affan, who on becoming caliph recalled him to Medina in violation of the Prophet’s Sunnah, gave his daughter in marriage to him, and entrusted him all affairs of the state. The resulting mismanagement and plunder of the public treasury ended twelve years later in the killing of Osman by Muslim revolutionaries from Egypt. In the "Battle of Jamal" that the pledge-breakers led by Ayesha – a wife of the Prophet – imposed on the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), near Basra in Iraq, Marwan treacherously killed his own leader, Talhah Ibn Obaidollah, with an arrow shot at the unprotected thigh. When the Omayyads seized the caliphate he served as governor of Medina for intermittent periods, and was staying there when Abdullah ibn Zubayr rebelled against Yazid and made the mistake of allowing him and his son Abdul-Malik to leave for Damascus. In Syria, following Yazid’s death and abdication by his son Muawiya II, in protest to his father’s crimes against Islam and humanity, including the tragic martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala, Marwan found himself propelled to the caliphate. His ascension pointed to a shift in the lineage of the Omayyad dynasty from descendants of Abu Sufyan to those of Hakam, both of whom were grandsons of Omayya. Some 67 years later, the Marwanids were thrown into the dustbin of history with the rise of the new dynasty of usurper caliphs, the Abbasids.

1027 lunar years ago, on this day in 413 AH, the famous theologian, Mohammad Ibn Mohammad ibn N’uman al-Ukbari, known popularly as “Sheikh Mufid”, passed away in Baghdad at the age of 77 and was laid to rest in Kazemain in the shrine of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS), the 7^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Over a hundred thousand people, both Shi'ites and Sunnis attended his funeral, the largest ever in Baghdad. The funeral prayer was led by his worthy student and scholastic successor, Seyyed Murtaza Alam al-Huda. He has left behind numerous works in almost all branches of Islamic sciences, some of which are: “al-Irshaad”, “Ahkaam an-Nisa”, “Aqsaam al-Mowla”, “al-Ifsah fi'l-Imamah Amir al-Mu'minin”, and “Tashih E`teqadaat al-Imamiyah” – the last named is a critical and edited version of his one-time teacher, Ibn Babawaih Shaikh Sadouq's “al-E'teqad”. Here it would not be out of context to relate how he acquired the epithet “Shaikh al-Mufid” or the Most Beneficial Scholar. It happened that his tutor suggested that he attend the lessons in theology of the Mu’tazalite scholar, Ali Ibn Eisa ar-Rummani. To quote his own words: I entered his class, and was impressed by the great number of students. So I sat at the end of the crowd, managing to creep forward as members of the assembly left. Then I saw a person enter, saying there is someone at the door from Basra who insists on being admitted. On ar-Rummani’s permission the man entered, and after a long conversation, asked him: "How do you view the event of “Ghadeer” (the day the Prophet, on God’s commandment, proclaimed Imam Ali [AS] as his vicegerent on 18th Zilhijja, 10 AH while returning from the Farewell Hajj pilgrimage) and the report of the “Ghar” (the incident of the cave in which Abu Bakr accompanied the Prophet on the night of Hijrah)?" Ar-Rummani replied that "the report of “Ghar” was a recognised event, while “Ghadeer” was just a narrative; and a narrative is not as mandatory as a recognised event." The man from Basra then left without making any reply. Then I came forward and said: "I have a question," and being permitted, I asked him: "What do you say about the one who fights a Just Imam?" Ar-Rummani said: "Such a person would be an infidel." Then, after a pause, he rectified himself and said: "He would be a transgressor." I asked: "What do you say about the Commander of the Faithful, Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS)?” He said: "I believe he was an Imam." So I asked: "Then what do you say about the Day of Jamal and about Talha and Zubair?" Ar-Rummani retorted that both of them had repented. I said: "The Battle of Jamal is a recognised event, while their repentance is a mere narrative." Upon hearing this, he said: "Were you present when the man from Basra put his question?" I said "yes." Then he asked: "What is your name and who is your tutor?" I said: "I am known as Ibn al-Mu’allem, and my tutor is Abu-Abdullah al-Jual." He said: Stay where you are. “Then he entered his room and came out with a letter, instructing me to hand it over to my tutor. When I gave the letter to my tutor, he read it and laughed, saying: What transpired between you in his class? He has asked me to confer upon you the title of “al-Mufid”

873 lunar years ago, on this day in 567 AH, the Hanbali hadith scholar and Arabic grammarian, Abdullah Ibn Ahmad al-Khashshab, passed away in Baghdad at the age of 75. He authored “Tarikh Mawaleed al Ai’mmah wa Wafaatehim”, which is a biography of the Imams and other prominent figures. He should not be confused with the Imami scholar Ibn al-Khashshab of Aleppo, Syria, who wrote a 4-volume annotated commentary on "al-Muqtassid" (a grammar manual by Ibn Hubayrah), and was martyred by Malik as-Saleh (son of Sultan Salah od-Din Ayyoubi) after writing a commentary on the famous sermon of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) titled "ash-Sheqsheqiyya" (Roar of a Camel).

567 solar years ago, on this day in 1450 AD, Abdul-Latif “Pidarkush”, the Timurid ruler of Central Asia and Khorasan, was assassinated after a reign of 6 months. The reason he is called “Pidarkush” by the people of Central Asia, was because of his killing of his own father, the famous scientist-king, Ulugh Beg – the son of Shahrukh Mirza and grandson of Amir Timur.

365 solar years ago, on this day in 1653 AD, the construction of Taj Mahal, which is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and among the best examples of Islamic architecture in India, ended after twenty-two years. Shah Jahan, the 5^th Great Moghul Emperor of the Timurid Dynasty of the northern part of the Subcontinent (present day northern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the eastern part of Afghanistan) built it in memory of his wife of Iranian origin, Arjmand Banu Begum, who died while giving birth to her fourteenth child. This beautiful mausoleum in the city of Agra on the banks of the River Jamuna, is made of white marble, with ayahs of the holy Qur’an inscribed on its façade and interior. It incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian architecture and earlier Mughal architecture. The best architects of the Mughal Empire along with those of Iran, like Eisa Isfahani, were employed to construct it. Today it is regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

213 solar years ago, on this day in 1805 AD, the German author, poet, and playwright, Friedrich Von Schiller, died at the age of 45. He became familiar with the celebrated German poet and writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and like his friend, created a new style in German literature. His first play was “The Robbers”, in which he exposed official oppression. He was subsequently banned from writing but continued to write in secrecy.

107 solar years ago, on this day in 1911 AD, an American delegation led by Morgan Schuster, arrived in Iran on the invitation of the Qajarid government to serve as an advisory team for reforming of economic and financial affairs. Czarist Russia strongly protested, saying Iran can appoint foreign nationals only with the permission of Russia and Britain. The Russians immediately landed troops in Bandar Anzali demanding a recourse and apology from the Iranian government. Russian troops also invaded Khorasan and advancing towards Mashhad started shelling the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) – the 8^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Many people of Mashhad were martyred and wounded in this barbaric attack that forced the Iranian government to cancel the services of Morgan Schuster in December the same year.

102 solar years ago, on this day in 1916 AD, the scandalous Sykes-Picot Accord was signed by representatives of Britain, France, and Russia in Paris for dividing up the Arab lands of the Ottoman Empire and limiting the Turkish possessions to Anatolia or present day Turkey. Even before the formal defeat of the Ottomans in 1917, lines were drawn on paper to share the spoils by the two principal European colonial powers. The British took control of Iraq and the Hijaz. Shaam or Greater Syria was split up into four parts, with the British taking Jordan and Palestine, and the French taking Syria and Lebanon. The main goal of this plan was to set up in Palestine, an illegal entity called Israel as a homeland for European Jews.

91 solar years ago, on this day in 1927 AD, Iran issued an announcement on supposed revocation of capitulation. Two years after collapse of the Qajarid dynasty and assumption of power by the British agent, Reza Khan Pahlavi, treaties and agreements concluded by the Qajar kings granting concessions to foreign countries, especially Russia, were selectively revoked. Reza Khan’s purpose in his so-called revocation of capitulation was a dishonest measure to depict an anti-colonial face of himself in Iran with the help of the British-backed mass media, as is evident by the Foreign Ministry’s sending letters to embassies of European countries in Tehran such as Britain, Germany, France, etc., reiterating their special rights and political, economic and judicial privileges in Iran. For example, on 10 May 1928 on which concession treaties were supposedly annulled by the Majlis, the Foreign Ministry sent a letter to British Minister Plenipotentiary in Iran, Robert Henry Clive, assuring him of immunity of British nationals as before. Similar letters were sent to the US ambassador and German Minister Plenipotentiary in the following days. Capitulation was enforced as a law subsequent to the Russo-Iran Wars of the first half of the 19^th century. It was first imposed on Iran by Tsarist Russia through the humiliating Turkmenchay and Golestan Treaties. Thereafter, Britain and other European powers compelled Iran to grant them special rights and privileges. Although in 1921, a day prior to the coup in Iran against Ahmad Shah Qajar, the Soviet Union had unilaterally cancelled the Tsarist colonial institution of capitulation treaties, including the 99-year treaty with Iran, Reza Khan’s decree on its supposed revocation in 1927 was actually issued six years after end of the capitulation treaty period. It was thus a superficial measure to fool the Iranian people, since Reza Khan was strongly loathed due to his anti-Islamic policies like banning of religious preaching and prohibition of teaching of the holy Qur’an and religious courses in the schools. In 1963, his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi entered into a more humiliating capitulation treaty with the US by granting American citizens all immunity against crimes they commit in Iran. This was approved by the cabinet ministers in October 1963, by the Senate in August 1964, and by the rubber-stamp Majlis on 13 October 1964. This was strongly denounced on 26 October the same year by the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (God bless him) and led to his exile from Iran. Following triumph of the Islamic Revolution, Iran cancelled forever all capitulation rights to foreigners on May 13, 1979.

30 solar years ago, on this day in 1988 AD, fifty days after Saddam’s savage chemical bombardment of the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabcheh to prevent its inhabitants from welcoming Iranian Muslim combatants as liberators from the repressive rule of the Ba’th minority regime, the United Nations Security Council approved a vaguely-worded Resolution 612. Although the resolution condemned the use of the internationally-banned chemical weapons as against the Geneva Protocol, it neither named Saddam as aggressor nor user of chemical weapons by merely calling on the two sides to refrain from violation of the Geneva Protocol, despite the fact that there was no evidence of Iran breaking the law.

26 solar years ago, on this day in 1992 AD, Armenia invaded the Caucasus Republic of Azerbaijan and occupied Qarabagh region, where a sizeable part of the population was Armenian Christians. Armenian troops occupied 20% of Azeri soil, and despite the ceasefire between the two countries as of 1993, this part of the Azerbaijan Republic is still under occupation. What is now called the Azerbaijan Republic was an integral part of Iran for some three millenniums until its occupation by Czarist Russia in the wars of 1813 and 1828 that led to the signing of the Golestan and Turkmanchai Treaties, according to which it should be returned to Iran after the specified number of years. Armenia, along with the eastern half of Georgia and most of the southern Caucasus including Chechen and Daghestan, were also traditionally part of the various Iranian empires. 

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran declared in a letter to US President George Bush that the western concept of democracy had failed worldwide and pointed out to "an ever-increasing global hatred" of the US. The crises plaguing the modern world are all due to the deceit and hypocrisy of the liberal democracy of the West, which violently suppresses the rights of sovereign states and peoples.

12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, Bosnia's war crimes court launched the trial of 11 Bosnian Serbs charged over the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims, its first genocide trial since it opened the year.

8 solar years ago, on this day in 2010 AD, the Islamic Republic of Iran opened the biggest car plant of the West Asia-North Africa region, set up by “SAIPA” the Iranian automobile company.

5 solar years ago, on this day in 2013 AD, Iran built a new, radar-evading drone that can do surveillance and fire on enemy targets. The new aircraft, dubbed “Hemaseh” or Epic, can fly at high altitudes.

Ordibehesht 19 is commemorated every year in the Islamic Republic of Iran as National Day for the great theologian and Hadith scholar, Sheikh Abu Ja’far, Mohammad bin Ya’qub Kulayni ar-Razi. He was among the greatest hadith scholars and the author of “al-Kafi”, one of the most authentic Four Books of Hadith of the School of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Born in Rayy, near modern Tehran, after completing his studies in his hometown, he moved to Baghdad, where met hadith transmitters who directly had heard hadiths from the Prophet’s 10^th and 11^th Infallible Heirs, Imam Ali al-Hadi and Imam al-Askari (peace upon them). Kulayni soon became known as the leading scholar in those days of “Ghaybat as-Soghra” or Minor Occultation of the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (AS – may God hasten his reappearance for establishment of the global government of peace, prosperity and justice). He wrote several books and groomed a number of scholars such as Ibn Qulawayh, Muhammad bin Ali Majilawayh Qomi, Ahmad bin Mohammad al-Zurari, etc. Of his works only “al-Kafi” has survived and it means “Sufficient” in view of its comprehensiveness and its covering of almost all topics mentioned by the Prophet and the Infallible Imams. Sheikh Kulayni passed away in Baghdad where his mausoleum remains a site of pilgrimage.

AS/SS